Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Putting on a Show

So yesterday I got my special ticket for the Bowie exhibition coming to the Brooklyn Museum. I got the 'budget' $35 Lightning Bolt version, to be sure of entry, & to skip the lines. I don't normally go for advance tickets, but this one? This one was close to my heart, and despite the hype & the kitsch, how could I not? Above the Lightning Bolt level though (and just typing Lightning Bolt level makes me wince), the special ticket prices go nuts, from the $85 Ziggy Stardust to the $2,500 Aladdin Sane package. There's no photography (fair enough) or even sketching allowed in the exhibition, and honestly all this nonsense pisses me off. But go I must.

How about my first Bowie ticket? I didn't even know it had survived until after I'd paid for the Museum show. I was doing a bit of a clean out, & sorting through old papers and photographs. There it was: Preston Guild Hall, January 9th, 1973. How did it land in my lap after all this time, with such uncanny timing?

And what was the ticket price back then? Just look at it. Best. Deal. Ever. Anyone could go.

And what did I wear to my first Bowie concert? To be honest, it's all a bit fuzzy, but I think there was a second-hand Fenwick's of Bond Street rust and lamé jacket with a fur collar, & I bet there were platform shoes.